


The Scent of the Stars

by Aurialle



Category: Ensemble Stars! (Video Game)
Genre: Ensemble Stars Secret Santa, Fake/Pretend Relationship, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-18
Updated: 2017-12-18
Packaged: 2019-02-16 08:31:35
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,640
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13050327
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Aurialle/pseuds/Aurialle
Summary: A misunderstanding leads to Hokuto having to take on his most difficult role yet: Kaoru's boyfriend.





	The Scent of the Stars

**Author's Note:**

> My Enstars Secret Santa gift for @genbukurono on twitter! Hopefully this is up to par (even though I didn't really have time to get it beta-ed) ^^*
> 
> Huge thanks to Squishy (@squishy3000, also on twitter) for suggesting the title.
> 
> Finally, for the line about Kaoru's first gift to Hokuto, in Japanese flower language (according to wikipedia anyway), dahlias mean "good taste", so it's a bit of a cheeky thing, like Kaoru saying that Hokuto has good taste for giving him a chance.
> 
> EDIT 11/14/18: I realized after posting this that I probably should have consulted sparknotes for the Romeo & Juliet references, but I'm not going to go back and change that since I accidentally made everyone know far more about that play than the game later established anyone (except arguably Wataru) actually did.

“Hokuto-kun, cheer up!”

Hokuto scowled, thoroughly hating his life.  This had started out as a good idea, the former oddballs trying to get the other members of their units and clubs to become friends.  And it had been going well, back when his small circle of new friends included relatively normal people like Yuzuru, Tsumugi, and Yuta.  But as with many things that Wataru was involved in, it resulted in severe discomfort for one of his drama club subordinates.

A few months into this ‘experiment’, Wataru decided there should be a bit more variety to the friendships.  He accomplished this by making people pick names out of a hat and forcing them to hang out.  In the beginning this worked out well enough- Tomoya got matched to Mika, Yuta to Adonis, and Midori to Tsumugi.  Then Hokuto got matched to Kaoru and everything fell apart.

It was obvious from the beginning that this wasn’t going to work.  Hokuto could hardly stand such overbearing attention from Subaru, who he considered an actual friend, and Kaoru was far too flirty for his taste.  Even if Hokuto _did_ have any intention of dating him, he prefered subtlety and a relaxed approach, rather than Kaoru’s obvious and occasionally aggressive flirtations.

Still, he knew that Wataru could easily make anyone’s life a living hell, especially his, so he agreed to meet Kaoru for coffee.

“Hokuto-kun?  You alright?”

“How many times do I have to tell you not to call me that?  We’re barely even acquaintances.”

“But you’re just so cute~”

Hokuto couldn’t be sure if Kaoru had chosen a cafe near the dog park on purpose, or if Subaru appeared because the entire universe was determined to make him miserable.  “Hokke!  What are you- oooooh.  Why didn’t you tell me you were dating Hakaze-senpai?”

Hokuto tried to answer, but Kaoru was faster- almost as if he’d been planning this.  “We thought it would be best to wait a few weeks before saying anything.  You won’t say anything, right Akehoshi-kun?”

“I’ll try my best!”

Hokuto felt his heart sink, knowing that Subaru’s best would end up with five other people “knowing” by the end of the week.

* * *

Hokuto was about two minutes away from throwing his phone against the wall.  He didn’t even know how some of the people who were calling him got his phone number, but it didn’t matter.  He didn’t want to talk to anyone about Kaoru, and probably never would.

Then he heard someone knocking on his door.  “Hokuto-senpai?  Are you in there?”

While he’d rather be alone at the moment, Tomoya was probably the best company he would get.  “Unfortunately.”

After opening the door, Tomoya barely moved, almost as if he was waiting for Hokuto’s permission to enter.  “It’s not that I don’t trust Buchou’s account of things, it’s… actually yes that’s exactly it.  So what’s actually happening?”

“Not trusting him is probably for the best, especially since he’s the cause of all of this.  I’m certain you remember the hat?”

Tomoya nodded.  “Of course.”  Then he pulled a plush cat out of his bag.  “I actually really like Kagehira-senpai.  I tried to send you a picture of this…”

“I’m glad one of the masked pervert’s plans finally worked out for you.  Meanwhile I was stuck with Hakaze, and that idiotic Akehoshi thought it was a date.  I wanted to correct him, but Hakaze was far too eager to play along.”

“Is that why you haven’t been answering your phone?  Anzu-senpai said she couldn’t get you to pick up either.”

“Sorry about that.  I just… got tired of people trying to ask me about Hakaze.  It seems like the whole school’s heard this rumor.”

Tomoya nodded again, much slower and more thoughtful this time.  “Well, if you need someone to talk to about this… I don’t know how much help I’ll be, but I’m always willing to listen.”

“Thank you, Tomoya.”

* * *

Hokuto knew that pinning Kaoru against a wall by the wrists did nothing to help dissuade the image of them as a couple.  But he also knew that if he didn’t keep the upperclassman still, he’d bolt before they could find a solution.

“Oh my, such an aggressive Hokuto-kun~  I didn’t even know this side of you existed, I love it.  But maybe we should-”

“Shut up.  I’m not flirting, I’m trying to keep you from running away.  I’d like to suggest a compromise.”

“Well, isn’t that what successful relationships are all about?”

“This isn’t a relationship.  Currently I barely tolerate you.  But because you and Akehoshi were idiots, the entire school thinks we’re dating.  So, I would like to make a deal.  I’ll pretend to date you for two months, and if you haven’t won me over by the end of it, we’re done.”

“A challenge, huh?  I won’t let you down, Hokuto-kun.”

Hokuto glared at his new fake boyfriend.  “Stop acting like this is a game, you’re lucky I’m even talking to you.”

“Alright, but I just have one request.  Call me Kaoru-kun?”

“Kaoru-senpai is as far as I'm willing to go.”

Kaoru smirked, which worried Hokuto.  What could he possibly be planning?  “Hopefully I can change that.”  Then he turned his attention to something- or rather, someone- behind Hokuto.  “Hello, vice president.”  Hokuto looked over his shoulder and saw that Keito was indeed standing behind them.

“Hello Hakaze, Hidaka.  You do know that such public displays of affection on the school grounds are forbidden, correct?  However, I’m feeling generous today, and as this is Hidaka’s first offense of this kind, I’m going to let you two off with a warning.”

And yet again, Kaoru spoke before Hokuto could even think of how to respond.  “Thank you.  It’s just, Hokuto-kun was so excited to see me that he couldn’t help himself.  New, young love- you know how it is, right?”

“No.”  And with that, Keito left, and Hokuto was once again alone with Kaoru.

* * *

They hadn’t even been at rehearsal five minutes when Mao decided to bring up the earlier incident.  “I heard the vice president saw you and Hakaze making out.  So you guys are actually a thing?”

Hokuto sighed.  He hated lying, but he knew it would be far easier to convince most people that he had dated Kaoru and it didn’t last, than to tell them the truth.  “I suppose that’s one way to put it, although I’ve never liked that term.  Can we please focus on rehearsal for now?”

He didn’t wait for an answer before playing the instrumental to Rebellion Star.  It hadn’t been his original plan, but he couldn’t forcefully redirect the other members with a song one of them had the first line of.

As expected, Subaru was the one to lose focus first.  “Hokke!  When are you going to officially introduce us to Hakaze-senpai?”

“I haven’t discussed it with him yet.  I’d prefer to take things slow.  I hope you all- he’s here isn’t he?”

Hokuto turned around to see Kaoru a few feet away, holding the largest jar of konpeito he had ever seen and a small bouquet of dahlias.  Then again, what was to be expected of Kaoru if not an almost ridiculous amount of pride.  “Hello, Hokuto-kun!”

“Hello, Kaoru-senpai.  This is… unexpected.  But appreciated.”  As he approached Kaoru, he remembered what he had been talking about.  “Ah, well, since you’re here, I suppose I should formally introduce you to the rest of my unit.  You’ve already met Akehoshi,” although Hokuto still couldn’t figure out how, “and this is Mao Isara, and Makoto Yuuki.”

“It’s a pleasure to meet you.  I promise I’ll take wonderful care of your leader~”

* * *

Tomoya was brought to tears by hearing the full details of Hokuto’s situation.  “If he hurts you I’ll… I’ll…”

Hokuto sighed and reached for a few more konpeito.  “Please, save your strength, you need it to defend yourself against Buchou.  And things are… alright so far.  Sure he’s obnoxious, but he bought me flowers and candy, so he’s at least trying.”

“I still don’t trust him.”  And yet as he said that, he held his hand out, as if he was asking Hokuto for some konpeito (which he of course received).

“Two months.  Then you can openly dislike him.  But for now, please just help me play my role.”

“And if this role becomes reality?”

Hokuto could see how much this idea worried Tomoya.  “We’ll discuss it if it happens.”

Then, as he was wont to do, Wataru appeared out of nowhere and wrapped his arm around Hokuto’s shoulder.  “Congratulations, I knew an amazing boy like you would be able to win over the school playboy!  Of course, as your matchmaker, I expect to be a guest of honor at the wedding.”

“I will, um, keep that in mind Buchou.  Thank you.”

* * *

Then came the start of Hokuto’s introductions to Kaoru’s friends.

“‘Kaoru’, I expected a call before you brought your ‘boyfriend’.”

“Relax, it's a party!  And Hokuto-kun _is_ classmates with Souma-kun.”

Hokuto, nervous as ever, extended his hand to Kanata.  “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Shinkai-senpai.”

“It’s a 'pleasure’ for me too.”  Kanata’s handshake was weak, but Hokuto could tell it wasn't a reflection of the third year's true strength.  “Would you help put up 'decorations’?  I'm trying to set up a surprise party for ‘Souma’, but ‘Kaoru’ probably won't be very ‘helpful’.”

“Of course.”

Despite Kanata's doubt, Kaoru actually did help quite a bit, and they finished far ahead of schedule.

Two weeks into the fake relationship and Kaoru had already gotten brash enough to kiss Hokuto’s cheek.  “You did a wonderful job, Hokuto-kun~”

“Thank you…”

Before Hokuto could get Kaoru alone to confront him about the kiss, Kanata interrupted.  “We should probably 'hide’ soon.  I recommend you two choose different 'spots’ so ‘Souma’ doesn't hear you.”

Hokuto couldn't be happier with this suggestion, and decided to sit next to the fish tank.  Kaoru ended up on the other side, and Kanata was next to the door.

For some reason, when Souma entered the room, the sprinklers went off.  It didn't seem to phase anyone else- possibly because they worked with water and aquatic creatures nearly every day.  Or maybe they just knew that their club room had faulty sprinklers.

Hokuto, meanwhile, hid in his blazer, trying to keep himself relatively dry.  Kaoru must have picked up on his discomfort, because the next thing Hokuto knew, his pretend boyfriend was standing under a small umbrella, offering him a small bit of shelter.  And even though he’d always envisioned his first time sharing an umbrella with someone to be quite different, he took Kaoru up on his offer- although he took control of the umbrella as soon as he could.

Socializing proved a bit difficult with one hand holding an umbrella and the other stuck in Kaoru's death grip, but Hokuto still tried.  “Happy birthday, Kanzaki.”

“Thank you Hidaka-dono.  You and Hakaze-dono make a very cute couple.”

Hokuto and Kaoru thanked Souma at the same time, but Kaoru's was far louder and more enthusiastic.  It occurred to Hokuto later that this was a reflection of their approaches to this 'relationship’, and he struggled to understand how Kaoru thought this could work.

* * *

“Just remember, I’ve got my eyes on you.”

Kaoru grinned, obviously not taking Tomoya very seriously.  “Isn't it usually the older brothers that are overprotective?”

What followed was the closest thing to a death stare that Tomoya was capable of.  “I'm serious!”

Hokuto, meanwhile, saw the need to calm the situation.  “Tomoya, can we run some lines backstage?”  Then he turned to Kaoru.  “It won't take long, I promise.”

“Whatever you need to do, Hokuto-kun.”

After they were backstage, Tomoya started reciting lines from Romeo and Juliet- specifically Mercutio’s death scene, with Romeo's lines being done in an imitation of Kaoru’s voice.  On any other day, Hokuto would have let him continue, especially given the stellar one-man performance by the first year.  Instead, he took advantage of Tomoya’s one similarity to a cat: if anyone touched the back of his neck, he froze.

“Tomoya, I'm going to be completely honest with you.  I’m starting to view Kaoru-senpai as a friend, so he’ll probably stay in my life after this charade is over.  This means I need you to at least not hate him to his face.  Now I’m going to move my hand, and if you start quoting again, I’m just going to leave.”

As soon as Hokuto moved his hand, Tomoya sprinted onto the stage.  Which wasn't entirely unexpected, considering how suddenly everything had just happened.  Hokuto decided it would probably be for the best to take an alternative route.

When he approached Kaoru, he and Wataru were talking like they were the best friends in the world, and Hokuto was glad that at least one of the other drama club members was enjoying his most involved performance.

* * *

In a way Hokuto was glad for Tomoya’s outburst.  After all, it seemed impossible for things to get _worse_ from there.  And he was always closer (or at the very least, less awkward) with Adonis than Souma.  He shouldn’t have anything to worry about… right? 

“Hokuto-kun?”

 Hokuto stopped, having been brought out of his autopilot daze by Kaoru’s voice.  “Yes?”

“We don’t have to do this now.  I don’t think they’d even be surprised if I just skipped rehearsal.”

“You told them I was coming, so if you skip, that makes me look like an enabler.  And more importantly, the second any other member of Trickstar gets into a relationship, I’ll be powerless to stop them from running off.”

“Then don’t be so nervous!”

Hokuto sighed, all of the previous introductions coming back to him at once.  “I can’t help it.  This sort of thing hasn’t gone particularly well so far.”

Kaoru put his arm around Hokuto’s shoulders, probably trying to comfort him.  “I’ve done this dozens of times, and these are some of the best reactions I’ve ever gotten.”

Hokuto was sure that was supposed to help, but it didn’t work.  But he did appreciate the effort, and it wasn’t as if either of them could make this go away entirely, so he didn’t have much of a choice but to keep walking.

After a few directional mishaps, Hokuto and Kaoru arrived to see what appeared to be Rei sitting alone.  Hokuto’s first instinct was to search for his fellow second years, but he had second thoughts when he noticed that Kaoru was just as confused.

Despite knowing he’d probably regret it, Hokuto decided to take the lead.  “Hello, Sakuma-senpai.  It’s nice to finally meet you.”

“Likewise.  Kaoru-kun has told me so much about you.”  Then Rei reached for Hokuto's hand and pulled it close, almost as if he was going to kiss it.  In fact, Hokuto may have preferred that over what actually happened.  After holding Hokuto's hand for what felt like an eternity, he looked up at Kaoru.  “Vanilla and roses, with a hint of lavender.  Just like you said.”

Kaoru sighed, obviously annoyed with whatever Rei was trying to accomplish.  “Yes, now please let go of my boyfriend.  You're scaring him.”

Hokuto would have gone with 'unnerving’, but the feelings were similar enough that he wasn't going to protest.  “What’s going on?”

“When Kaoru-kun was talking about you, something seemed… off about the entire thing.  And while his sense of smell is wonderful, there's always some kind of inaccuracy if he doesn't have some sort of genuine feelings for the other person.  For example, he insists that Hasumi-kun predominantly smells like coconuts, but I know for a fact that he's wrong.”

Before Hokuto could ask what Keito actually smelled like, or what the relevance of any of this was, Koga forcefully opened the closet he'd apparently been in the whole time.  “You only know that because you spent half of last year making out with Hasumi-senpai, and god only knows how much before that.  Now if you’d like to explain why this part of your plan was necessary-”

“Because you’d get us off track before I could figure out what was really going on here, and Adonis-kun is in there to keep you company.”

Hokuto, meanwhile, was nearly frozen and barely processing that Rei was still talking.  What Rei had meant had just now hit him- on some level, in some way, Kaoru actually liked him.  Of course, he still couldn't tell if Kaoru wanted this relationship to be romance or friendship or something else entirely, but it was still an unexpected twist.

This time it was Koga that brought him back to reality (probably because he was so much louder than Rei).  “Look, you broke him.  Great job, bastard.”

“Hush, he’s probably just nervous.”

Which was true, but not for any reason Rei could be thinking of.

* * *

As they approached the one month mark, the amount of gifts was gradually increasing.  Almost every day there were flowers (typically roses) and a small jar of konpeito on his desk by the time Hokuto arrived, and given his punctuality, he was surprised that he’d never seen anyone making the delivery.

There was one small issue, however: he was quickly running out of space for all the flowers, so he decided to confront Kaoru.  The first step to this was finding him.  He didn’t answer his phone, and he wasn’t in his club room or waiting for Hokuto in the auditorium, so the only place left to look on campus was Undead’s rehearsal space… assuming he could find it again.

Hokuto started wandering in a direction he’d seen Adonis go a few hundred times, hoping that he was going the right way.  After walking for a few minutes, he noticed Rei further down the hall.  “Sakuma-senpai!  Hello!”

Rei turned around and started walking towards Hokuto.  “Hello, Hidaka-kun.  I'm assuming you're looking for your boyfriend?  He told me he had to go shopping.  Possibly an anniversary present?  Personally I think it's a bit too early for that, but he has far more experience than I do.”

“Did he say anything that made it seem like he might be picking up a vase?  I'm beginning to run out of room for all the flowers he’s giving me.”

“Not that I recall, no.  But if that's the biggest problem you two have, I know quite a few people who would love to be in your position.”

Hokuto couldn't help but agree.  Other than the entire thing being a lie, his relationship with Kaoru was rather idyllic. But reflections on how well things were going weren't going to change that Hokuto had no idea where his fake boyfriend was.  “Did he say where he was going?”

“No, but he did say it was near the dog park.”

And near the cafe where all of this started.  He was probably doing this on purpose, sending Hokuto on an elaborate hunt ending at the spot of their first 'date’.  But it would have felt wrong to give up now.  “Thank you so much, Sakuma-senpai.”

* * *

Kaoru grinned when he noticed Hokuto approaching his table.  “Oh, Hokuto-kun.  I didn't expect to see you here.  What a pleasant surprise.”

“Kaoru-senpai…”.  Hokuto stared at Kaoru, trying to analyze his body language.  “You're telling the truth, aren't you?  And I was thinking you had a calculated plan to bring me back here…”

“No, but elaborate anniversaries are something I would do… if this was actually romance.  But instead, I thought gifts would be more appropriate.”

A mix of emotions were running through Hokuto's mind.  He preferred more traditional courtship, but he’d wondering all this time what Kaoru had planned to impress him.  In fact, he’d almost been looking forward to it.  Then he remembered why he was there in the first place.  “Would this gift happen to be a vase?”

Kaoru looked confused, but it was difficult to tell with his usual coy attitude.  “Why would I get you a vase?”

“Well where do you expect me to put all the flowers?”

“Hm… well, you would look beautiful with a circlet of flowers.  Almost like an elven prince.”

Hokuto found himself blushing involuntarily (of course it was, when does anyone ever blush voluntarily, he had to get a hold of himself).  “Please just stop giving me flowers for a few weeks.”

“As you wish, Hokuto-kun.”

* * *

Hokuto quickly realized that he would have to get Kaoru a gift, and this worried him.  He was horrible at gifts, to the point where he hardly knew what to get his grandparents each year for their birthdays.  And on top of that, he didn't know Kaoru nearly as well as he would have if they were actually dating.

He decided to ask Kanata for advice, but in a roundabout way.  After all, he didn't want to look completely incompetent.  After thinking for a while, he remembered Kaoru making a comment about needing to repaint his surfboard before the weather got warm enough to actually use it.  Chocolate was probably also a good idea, although maybe a bit too traditional, and he’d never bothered to ask about Kaoru's taste in sweets.  Then again, this sort of thing _was_ why he was seeking input from someone who had known Kaoru for longer.

It took a few minutes for Kanata to pick up the phone, which didn't surprise Hokuto.  He’d heard plenty about all the oddballs from Wataru, including Kanata's tendency to do things at his own pace, regardless of everyone else.  “Hello, ‘Hokuto’.  What is the 'purpose’ of this call?”

“I need some help with anniversary gifts for Kaoru-senpai…”

“I would think you’d ‘know’ what to get ‘Kaoru’ better than I would.”

“It's not that I don't know, I'm just not sure where to get it.  I'm thinking of getting him paint for his surfboard, and… some kind of chocolate.”

“I think any 'paint’ will work.  And I don't remember seeing him eating 'sweets’ very often.  ‘Kaoru’ is very fond of 'coffee’, however.”

Hokuto should have known this, and he knew he should have known this.  After all, their first 'date’ was at a cafe.  “Thank you, Shinkai-senpai.  Just one more thing.  His favorite color is blue, right?”

“Yes… In fact, I’ve been wondering if that's how you got his 'attention’ in the first place.  But I suppose 'speculating’ is useless now, isn't it?  As long as you and 'Kaoru’ are 'happy’ together.”

Hokuto couldn't quite say if he was happy in his current situation or not.  He enjoyed spending time with Kaoru, but he wished he could tell someone other than Tomoya the truth.  “Well, I’m sure if you asked him, he’d gladly tell you.”

“'Hokuto’, I like you much better than any of 'Kaoru's’ past 'partners’.  But I’m happy not knowing his 'motivations’ for anything.”

 Hokuto sighed, wishing he could say the same.

* * *

Hokuto sat at Kaoru's usual table at the cafe, the same one where all of all of this started, waiting for his fake boyfriend to show up for their fake anniversary date.  It was a strange experience, even after a month of pretending to date Kaoru.

He sighed, wondering where Kaoru could be.  He’d gotten a text fifteen minutes ago saying that Undead’s rehearsal had finished, and the cafe was only seven minutes from the school.

He was almost finished with his (probably far too sweet for anyone else) tea when Kaoru showed up. “Hokuto-kun~  Happy anniversary!”

Hokuto felt his heart skip a beat.  Since when was Kaoru so pretty?  “Hello Kaoru-senpai.  You… look nice.”

Kaoru looked like he wanted to make a smartass comment, then he realized that Hokuto had given him a genuine compliment.  “Thank you.  And you look lovely, as always.”

Hokuto felt his face start to go red, so he tried to hide and redirect the conversation by grabbing one of his gifts from the bag at his feet.  He decided to go with the chocolate covered coffee beans first.  Which probably would have worked if he hadn’t started explaining himself with no prompting.  “I wanted to do something a bit traditional, but I didn’t know what kind of chocolate you liked.”

Kaoru, meanwhile, seemed to be paying a bit more attention to Hokuto’s body language.  “Hokuto-kun, why are you so nervous?”

“I’ve just never done any of this before.  I didn’t come out until this year, and I’ve been so focused on Trickstar’s success that I haven’t even thought about dating.”

Kaoru nodded and ate one of the beans.  “Well, you have good taste.  I love these things.  Should I go next?”

Hokuto nodded, although since Kaoru was already reaching for his gifts, he probably could have stayed still and it wouldn’t have made a difference.  Kaoru pulled out a circlet made of fake blue roses and placed it on Hokuto’s head.  “For my prince.”

Hokuto wasn’t Kaoru’s anything, and he certainly wasn’t a prince.  And yet he found himself loving the attention too much to say that.  Instead, he quickly thanked Kaoru and got out his second gift, a small container of blue paint.  “I only got two things, and I figured something practical might be good… did I get your favorite color right?”

“Close.  It’s actually more of a greenish blue, like the ocean.  But this is going to make a nice accent color.” He kept looking between the paint and Hokuto, as if he was trying to study both of them at the same time.  “It matches your eyes.  Did you do that on purpose?”

“No, I just..”  He briefly considered bringing up his conversation with Kanata, but it would have been of no use now.  Kaoru had already disproven the theory with no prompting.  “Usually when people say their favorite color is blue, it’s either more of a sapphire or a sky blue, and I just took a guess.”

“Well, I’ve always thought you have lovely eyes.  Should I go next?” After Hokuto nodded, Kaoru handed him a rather large book- a heavily annotated collection of Shakespeare plays, with a dark red and gold cover.

Hokuto stared at it for a few minutes before he was able to form even a short response.  “It’s beautiful.”  Then it occurred to him what Kaoru’s logic may have been.  “Kaoru-senpai… why did you pick this?”

“I thought it would be helpful for your next play.  You _are_ doing Romeo and Juliet, right?”

Hokuto felt his heart sink.  “Actually no.  I’m assuming you caught on to the fact that Tomoya doesn’t approve of our ‘relationship’?”

“I don’t think he could make it more obvious.”

Hokuto stopped, wondering if he should tell Kaoru why.  He decided that he had to come forward eventually, it was too big of a secret to keep forever.  “Well the reason for that is… he knows we’re not really dating.”  

“Since when?”

“This entire time.  I’d told him about what happened at the cafe, before we started doing this, so he wouldn’t have fallen for it anyway.  And when I took him back to ‘run lines’, I think he was trying to tell me that he’d do anything he could to protect me.  Which is a sweet sentiment, but not a necessary one.  And I told him that, but I’m not sure what else to do...”

Kaoru nodded, almost as if he was still trying to take everything in.  “Well, for what it’s worth, he  seems to be the only protestor.”

Somehow that only made Hokuto feel worse.

* * *

Hokuto hated the situation he found himself in, even more than he had over the last month.  He still couldn't shake the feeling that this was some kind of twisted game- and if it was, Kaoru was beginning to win.

He didn't have much time to think before he heard someone knocking on his window.  He looked over and saw Kaoru, although he couldn't figure out why.

He knew he'd regret opening the window almost immediately, but Kaoru was making Hokuto second-guess everything lately (and perhaps more importantly, showed no signs of leaving on his own).  “What are you doing?”  Hokuto also didn't know how Kaoru knew where he lived, but he wasn't sure if he was ready to ask.

“I could tell you were thinking about me.”

“...And that means you can't use the front door?  No one here thinks I'm single.”

“Including you?”

“That's not what I meant.”

Kaoru looked like he could see right through Hokuto's facade, but knew better than to push the subject much further.  “Do you really feel like convincing your parents you actually like me?”

“Well, I’ve convinced them that I like them.”

The mischievous smile faded from Kaoru's face, and he looked almost broken.  “I didn't mean to-”

“You're fine.  It's not even that I hate them, it's just… I don't ever see them.”  Before Hokuto realized what was happening, Kaoru pulled him into a hug, and also nearly out the window.  “Kaoru-senpai, please let me go.”

Kaoru seemed hesitant, but complied in the end.  “Is it alright if I come in?”

“My grandparents would kill me if they found out.  Just… give me a minute, I'll be right out.”  He grabbed a jacket and the flower crown that Kaoru had given him, and rushed outside.  When his grandmother asked him where he was going, he said that he wanted to look at the stars with Kaoru.

Hokuto couldn’t see clearly in the dark, but it looked like Kaoru was starting to cry.  “Kaoru-senpai… what was the real reason you came to see me?”

“I wanted to get out of the house.”

Hokuto could tell that Kaoru was still hiding something, but thought it would be for the best not to ask anymore questions.  For now, anyway.  But he couldn’t quite let it go.  “There’s an extra room here.  Well it’s… not technically, but my parents are going to be out of the country for at least a month.”

Kaoru shrugged, trying to be nonchalant about the situation.  “It’s not that bad, and I’ve got other offers if it ever does.”

Hokuto sat down next to Kaoru, hoping that his presence would be some degree of comfort.  “Well, that one always stands.  After all… we’re friends, right?”

“Of course.”  Kaoru stopped, seemingly trying to take in every feature of Hokuto.  “You’re wearing the roses.”

Hokuto smiled, glad that Kaoru noticed.  “I don’t quite think I look like a prince, but… you were right, they do suit me.”

“I just thought you’d like the comparison.”

Hokuto looked down, hoping that Kaoru wouldn’t notice his blush.  “I’m just not used to it, I guess.  You’re the first person to call me that.”

Kaoru looked shocked.  “But you’re so elegant and beautiful.”  
  
And there they went again, Kaoru doing the simplest thing and Hokuto becoming absolutely captivated- possibly even smitten.  “Thank you, Kaoru-kun.”

Hokuto couldn’t quite believe what had come out of his mouth, but seeing how happy Kaoru was definitely made his slip up worth it.

* * *

“I’m sorry, say that again?”

Hokuto sighed, wondering if Tomoya was being facetious.  “I’m in love with Kaoru-kun.”

“I’m not sure you can be ‘in love’ with someone you’ve only known for about a month.”

“Well what else do you call it when you want to kiss someone nearly every time you talk to them, and everything they say is completely enchanting, and you just… want to be with them for as long as possible.”

Tomoya rolled his eyes.  “Calm down, Juliet.  What’s next, you’ll start telling me he’s one of those ‘magicians’ that Buchou’s always rambling about?”

“No, of course not.”  Which was a lie, but Tomoya didn’t need to know that.

“And why are you telling me all of this?  It’s not like I can actually do anything to stop you.”

“Because you’re important to me, and I want to give you some time to get used to the idea.”

“Hokuto… do you really not know how obvious you are?  I’ve known you liked him for a few weeks now.  And while I still don’t trust him… I’ll try.  For you.  But I just have one question.”

“Go ahead.”

“Since when are you calling him Kaoru-kun?”

* * *

Hokuto was almost shaking from nervousness.  He’d already put off his confession a couple weeks, and he was running out of time to do this on his own terms.

“Hokuto-kun?  Is everything alright?”

Hokuo looked up and saw that Kaoru had indeed managed to find the tree he was sitting under.  “Yeah, I just.  Need to talk to you.”

Kaoru sat down next to Hokuto, seeming rather confused.  “Now I’m getting worried.”

“It’s nothing serious, just...”  Hokuto stopped, still having no idea what to say.  Tomoya was probably right about this not quite being ‘love’ or ‘magic’, but he couldn’t think of how else to describe his feelings.  So he didn’t.  “I think we should actually date.”

Kaoru looked shocked.  “Are you serious?”

Hokuto kissed Kaoru, not sure how else to be convincing.  It was a brief and simple kiss, just a few seconds of their lips brushing against each other, but it was enough to convince Kaoru.  As soon as Hokuto pulled back, he fully realized what he’d done.  “That was my first kiss.  I had my first kiss with a guy I’m not even dating yet.”  He was shocked at how easily he’d done this, to the point of being a bit numb.

“Well, that happens when you don’t give him enough time to say yes.”

Hokuto started tearing up from sheer embarrassment.  “You can’t tell anyone about that.  Especially Akehoshi.”

“I think it was cute, personally.  But it can be our secret, for now.”

”For now?”

“Well, if we ever have kids-”

“We haven’t even been dating for ten minutes!”  But Hokuto couldn’t help but admire this particular trait of Kaoru’s- he knew exactly what he wanted, and he wasn’t going to give up without a fight.  And Hokuto couldn’t be happier that Kaoru had wanted him.


End file.
